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South by Southwest Festival gets politicized

The South by Southwest Festival is increasinly branching out beyond music and films. |
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Benen said, "It looks like there's a growing interest in political media at the interactive portion of the conference. It's encouraging, and it seems to speak to a larger trend."

That trend? In part, the possible inclusion of these panels at SXSW is a reflection of how intertwined technology and politics have become. While Washington may be stereotyped as a slow and stodgy, politicians — especially those campaigning — and news organizations are increasingly embracing technology to reach larger audiences. The growing popularity of online-focused political events as such as Netroots Nation and RightOnline illustrate the ongoing dialogue taking place between politicos and plugged-in types.

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Shawn O'Keefe, SXSW's interactive producer, said he has "definitely seen growth over the past two to three years with government-focused or journalism sessions," in part because of the increasing role that government has played in shaping the technological playing field. (The amped-up presence of both Google and Facebook in D.C. is just one example.)

"I think those who work in government and politics are realizing more and more that technology is changing how we campaign and make policy," Soltis said. "Especially in a presidential campaign year, it's no surprise that the intersection of politics and tech would be front and center."

For journalists — from Washington and elsewhere — the conference offers a forum to discuss improving readership online.

"I think that most bloggers care about communicating to a national audience, not simply a Beltway one," said Rosenberg. "If your primary interest is in, say, national security policy, but you're also interested in the technology you use to communicate your ideas and find powerful metaphors for them in pop culture, SXSW is a great place to be, and a great audience to get in front of."

Despite what seems to be a politicization of the Austin-based festival, don't expect SXSW to be moved to Washington anytime soon. Though O'Keefe said political panels are "definitely popular," some disagree.

Garrett Graff, editor of Washingtonian magazine has attended SXSW since 2005 and said that many of the political "sessions are still pretty poorly attended, comparatively, and generally a pretty good reality check on how little the tech community cares about the political sphere." He added, "There's a lot more street cred to be had for being a politico who is a geek than there is in being a geek who is into politics."

Readers' Comments (7)

Any gathering of filmmakers, musicians, any type of performance artists, is guaranteed to be "politicized" by the nature of the atendees. Far left, politically. Socially, anything goes.

Politicized? S X SW has ALWAYS been political. Everything in Austin is political, even the food store Whole foods headquarters.

Drugs, sex, and spending other people's money. Life is one big party for the mostly wealthy, spoiled punks from trust fund families who can afford to indulge themselves making movies that nobody watches, and music nobody listens to, paintings that mean nothing, except to the mentally unbalanced homosexuals who buy them, poems with no focus except the verbal equivalent of drooling on paper.

But don't get me wrong, I love art, I love Austin, in fact I think I may move there. I am a movie fan, a museum goer, music listener, etc.

Quality art, quality movies, quality paintings. Don't care much for sculpture. Same with poetry. Used to read lots of fiction, but today just non-fiction. "The perfect storm", "Blackhawk down", "maximum city", "manana forever", a few of the type books i buy.

Any gathering of filmmakers, musicians, any type of performance artists, is guaranteed to be "politicized" by the nature of the atendees. Far left, politically. Socially, anything goes.

Politicized? S X SW has ALWAYS been political. Everything in Austin is political, even the food store Whole foods headquarters.

Drugs, sex, and spending other people's money. Life is one big party for the mostly wealthy, spoiled punks from trust fund families who can afford to indulge themselves making movies that nobody watches, and music nobody listens to, paintings that mean nothing, except to the mentally unbalanced homosexuals who buy them, poems with no focus except the verbal equivalent of drooling on paper.

But don't get me wrong, I love art, I love Austin, in fact I think I may move there. I am a movie fan, a museum goer, music listener, etc.

Quality art, quality movies, quality paintings. Don't care much for sculpture. Same with poetry. Used to read lots of fiction, but today just non-fiction. "The perfect storm", "Blackhawk down", "maximum city", "manana forever", a few of the type books i buy.

Ah it seems even the youth of the right are as culturally unaware as ever. SxSW is one of the largest music festivals in the country and is a fantastic environment for music lovers even though I haven't been in several years since the Morrissey show.

Ah it seems even the youth of the right are as culturally unaware as ever

Yeah, SHAME on them for being so busy working, raising families or taking SERIOUS classes in college that they can't keep up with what you consider to be "culture," such as SxSW, Burning Man and similar self-indulgence.

This is partly said with tongue in cheek, as I am spending the next couple of weeks at the TRUE cultural event, the Reno air races.

indulge themselves making movies that nobody watches, and music nobody listens to, paintings that mean nothing, except to the mentally unbalanced homosexuals who buy them, poems with no focus except the verbal equivalent of drooling on paper.